Richard Horton, the author of the anonymous NightJack blog, is suing the Times newspaper citing breach of confidence, misuse of private information and deceit. Horton is being represented by Mark Lewis, the libel and privacy lawyer in hacking cases against News International.

In 2009, the Times revealed Horton, a detective of the Lancashire police force, as the blogger behind NightJack. The Murdoch-owned paper initially denied accessing Horton's emails but later admitted a journalist had done so to confirm the story.

The Times editor, James Harding, told the Leveson inquiry that evidence of the paper's involvement in email hacking had previously been withheld from the High Court. Harding wrote to Mr Justice Eady to apologise, and has denied he agreed to or was made aware of the hacking.

Alastair Brett, the Times's former legal manager, told the inquiry into press standards that legal documents filed to the High Court did not give the "fully story"; one named Patrick Foster as the reporter who established Horton's identity, and that he did so using "publicly-available materials, patience and simple deduction".

NightJack won the Orwell Prize for blogging in 2009. Horton is claiming aggravated and exemplary damages from the Times.